Protective means for the leads of electric transformers



Jan. Q

F. 5. SMITH PROTECTIVE MEANS FOR THE LEADS OF ELECTRIC TRANSFORMERS Filed March 2, 1922 INVEN TOR J ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 15, 1924.

UNITED STATES 1,480,574 PATENT OFFICE.

FRANKLIN S. SMITH, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE PROD- UCTS PROTECTION CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELA- WARE.

PROTECTIVE MEANS FOR THE LEADS OF ELECTRIC TRANSFORMERS.

Application filed March 2, 1922. Serial No. 540,410.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANKLIN S. SMITH, a citizen of the United States ,-and a resident of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented an Improvement in Protective Means for the Leads of Electric Transformers, of which the following is a specification.

Under the present law and regulations in covering interstate shipments electric transformers, and other forms of electrical apparatus, the tanks of which contain gas under pressure and which have bakelite leads or leads of other frangible material, are not v permitted to be shipped.

The .purpose of the present invention is to provide novel and efiicient means for protecting such leads so that electric transformers provided therewith may be shipped safely from point to point either in intra or interstate commerce.

-A further object of the invention-is to provide a protective means for such leads which may be readily assembled with and attached to the transformer and equally as readily removed or detached therefrom.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be pointed out in the detailed description thereof which follows or will be apparent from such description.

In order that the invention and its many practical advantages may be readily understood and appreciated, reference may be had to the accompaniyng drawing inwhich "I 36 have illustrated one form of mechanical em- Fig. 2 ,is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is .a view in'elevation of a fragmentary. ortion of the transformer and Qle'ad showing more clearly a detail of the construction, and;

Fig. 4. is a plan view of a locking plate constituting a part of the protective means phodwlvn in connection with the high voltage Referring to the drawing, 1 designates the body portion or tank of an electric transformer which is adapted to receive and hold gaseous dielectric under pressure which gas enters and occupies the space or chamber within the lead 2 of bakelite or other suitable material of like characteristics and qualities. For the purpose of protecting the low voltage terminals or leads 3 shown in the drawing I have provided a steel shell cap 4 having an outwardly extending flange 5 at its open edge which flange is provided with openingsat intervals therein through which screws 6 extend by means of which the said cap is secured to the flange 7 around the bakelite bushing of the'low voltage terminals or leads. The saidshell cap is provided with openings 8 through which the gas may escape in case the terminals should be broken or disrupted by the pressure of the gas, or otherwise broken. In case the terminals and bakelite bushing should blow out the arts blown out would be caught by the shell cap and consequently would cause no damage to adjacent objects or injury to nearby persons.

For the purpose of protecting the high voltage terminal or lead comprising the fran ible part 2 "of bakelite or other materia having equivalent characteristics and qualities, I have provided a covering de vice for completely inclosing the said lead which device is provided withv openings through a portion or portions thereof through which the gas may escape from the transformer casing in the event of rupture or disruption of the high tension lead due to gas pressure or other cause. In case of a blowout of the said lead the parts blown out would be caught by the said device so that no injury could possibly result to persons or things adjacent thereto.

The said protecting device comprises: a tubular section ofpipe 10, preferably cylindrical, of wrought iron or other suitable equivalent metal. The lower end of said pipe; that is, the end nearest the transformer casing, is seated and held firmly against the topmost of a plurality of plates.

and are provided with semi-circular com-" plementary openings, 0 and d, and with a plurality of holes 17 to allow the'escape of gas in event of rupture of the bakelite lead.

This plate constitutes a locking plate, so by it the device as a whole called because is .locked and held in position upon and surrounding the lead structure. The diameter of the opening therethrough formed by the semi-circular openings cand d is substantially less than the diameters'of the openings 14 and 15 through the plates 11 and 13. The inner edges of the said plate 12 surrounding the circular opening formed by the complementary openings 0 and cl. extend underneath a shoulder 18 formed by an enlargement at the upper end of the projection 20 which extends upwardly from the tank 1 of the transformer. For closing the outer end of the tubular section 10, l have provided a plate 25. All of these parts including the tubular section 10, the annular 25, are held and locked together by means of rods 26, the opposite ends of which are screw threaded as shown. The lower ends of the said rods have screw threaded engagement with screw threaded openings 3L) through the plate 13 adjacent its outer edge. The plates 11 and 12 are likewise provided with openings 31 through which the lower end portions of the rods 26 extend, the said openings, however, being of greater diameter than the diameter of the rods so that the said rods may pas readily through said openings thereby allowing the plates 11 and 12 to be placed readily in position as shown in Fig.- 1 of the drawing.

In assembling the parts of the protecting casing, the plate 13 is placed in position with the projection 20, extending upwardly through the opening thereof. Thereafter the intermediate locking plate 12 is placed in position upon the plate 13 with the inner edges of the semi-circular openings c and d of the two sections a and 6 thereof in engagement or in substantial engagement with said projection 20 underneath the shoulder 18. If desired, the plate 11 may then be placed in position upon the plate 12, or, if preferred, the plate 11 need not be placed in position until after the rods 26 are inserted through the openings 31 of the plate 12 and screwed into the openings 30 of the bottom plate "13. The contact and pressure of the lower ends of the rods 26 diameter of the plates 11, 12 and 13, and the plate the sections a and b of. the'plate 12 when the inner edges are clamped against'the' shoulder 18. I

The sections of the locking-plate 12 having been forced and clamped firml the shoulder 18 as above describe the tua ainst bular section 10 is then placed in position after which the plate 25 which is provided with openings 35 adjacent its outer edge, 'is placed in' position upon theupperscrew threaded ends of the rods 26 and is .claln d down upon the upper end of the said tu a lar section by means of nuts and washers 37. After the plate 25 has been clamped firmly against the upper end of the'tubular section 10,--nuts and washers 38 upon the upper screw threaded end portions of the rods 26 are screwed against the under side of the saidplate so as to hold the same more firmly and steadily in position.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is; V 1. Protecting means for the lead structures of electric transformers, comprising a pipe section and a plate in contact with the outer end of said pipe section to close the same, a plurality of annular plate members in contact with the opposite end of said 'pipesection, said annular plates being concentrically situated with respect to the axis of the said lead structure, and means for clamping and holding said-plates against the opposite ends of said pipe and for clamping one of said annular plates against a portion of said lead structure to interlock the said protecting means with the said terminal structure.

2. Protecting means for the lead structure of an electric transformer, comprising in combination, a pipe section, a plate for closing the outer end. of said pipe section,

the edges of'which project beyond the sides of said pipe section, a plurality-of annular plates situated against the opposite end of the said pipe section, the outer edges of said annular plates projecting beyond the l.

sides of the said pipe section andithe top and bottom plates being provided with openthe inner edges of. one of the said annular plates contacting with a] portion of the 126 ings adjacent the outer edges thereof and portionof the said'lead structure, said annular plates comprising upper, lower and intermediate plates,'the latter consisting of two sections the inner edges of which project inwardly beyond the inner edges of the upper and lower plates and engage underneath the said shoulder, -a common means for clamping the said plates against the opposite ends of said pipe section and -for clamping the inner edges of the sections of the intermediate annular plate against the said shoulder.

4. In combination, a lead structure of an electric transformer comprising a vtubular project ion extending outwardly from the transformer tank, said projection being provided with an enlargement forming a,

shoulder, a pipe surrounding the said lead structure, a plate for closipg the outer end ol'said pipe, a plurality of. annular plates situated at the opposite end'of said pipe, said annular plates comprising upper and lower solid plates and an intermediate plate consisting of a plurality of sections,'thc inner edges of said sections projecting inwardl y beyond the inner edges of the up 1' and lower plates and being situated mi;- ncath the shoulder of the said projection,

and allot the said plates being provided plates in position against the opposite ends of the said pipe section, and the said rods being adapted to cause the inner edges of the sections of the said intermediate annular plate member to be clamped against the said shoulder, substantially as described.

'5. A protecting device for the leads of electric trzmsformcrs, comprising a casing including a plurality of members which are adapted to be assembled around a lead to form a protecting covering therefor and means'for securing the said members toget-her-which means is adapted to co-operate with the transformer casing to efiect interlocking connection between the said protecting means and the said lead.

(5. A protecting device for the leads of a transformer, comprising a tubular section, means at the opposite ends thereof for closing said section, the. means at the inner end of said section being adapted to interlock with a portion of the said lead about which the parts of said device are assembled, and

means for clamping and securing the dos-- ing means against. the opposite ends of the said tubular section, the said closing means at the inner end of said section being interlocked with a portion of the leadand the said clamping and securing means co-operating with the transformer casing to clamp Y a portion of the said interlocking means against a portion of the said lead.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as'my invention, I have hereunto signed my name this 28th day of February, 1922.

FRANKLIN s. sm'rn. 

